Italy’s hopes of recording further victories in this year’s Six Nations
tournament were dealt a blow yesterday when their talismanic captain and No
8 Sergio Parisse was suspended for the rest of the campaign after insulting
a referee during a French Top 14 club game last weekend.

Parisse, who denies the charge, was sent off during Stade Francais’ 30-14 win over Bordeaux-Begles.

In a statement on Wednesday the French league [LNR] said the Italian had been banned for 40 days, of which 10 were suspended. “Mr Sergio Parisse will be allowed to play again on March 18, 2013”, the statement said.

After their historic victory over France in the opening round of matches, Italy will now be without their most influential player not only for Saturday’s clash with Wales in Rome, but also for the trip to Twickenham on March 10 and Ireland’s visit on March 16.

Wales centre Jamie Roberts said on Wednesday that Italy would pose a “tough” challenge at the Stadio Olimpico, even without their captain and talisman, but added that after the morale-boosting victory in Paris, which ended a run of eight consecutive defeats, the reigning Grand Slam winners were now hopeful of retaining their Six Nations title.

“England are in a strong position with two out of their three remaining games at home,” Roberts said. “But I would like to think the French will turn them over at Twickenham on Saturday.

“We are still very much in with a shout. Italy will be tough, but we will be ready. We know we need to raise the bar again.

“They run hard and tackle hard, and if you don’t close them down they cause you problems. So first and foremost, our defensive effort needs to be at least as good as the effort in Paris. But I would like to think that after getting the win [in Paris] we will go out and play to win.”